On Friday, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which has been closely monitoring the spread of the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus informed that it has manufactured multi-layered N99 masks, bodysuits for health workers, critical-care ventilators and hand sanitisers to fight the pandemic.
https://twitter.com/airnewsalerts/status/1243762877472763905?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwA senior DRDO official was quoted as saying, “In the first week of March, the DRDO took a call to enhance efforts to create countermeasures to stop the spread of the disease in India, as by then, the number of affected people in India had crossed 30. The DRDO also started focusing on creating mass supply solutions for critical medical requirements.”
Approximately 4,000 litres of hand sanitiser had been sent to the Armed forces while 1,500 litres had been handed over to the Ministry of Defence. 300 litres had been dispensed to the Parliament whereas 500 litres had been provided to various security establishments and high offices. Hand Sanitisers produced by the DRDO had also been distributed to the Delhi Police at 40 outposts.
DRDO has also produced critical-care ventilators on a large-scale using existing technologies such as breath regulators, and pressure/flow sensors. The government agency is also innovating a multi-patient ventilator that can provide pulmonary support to several patients at one time.
DRDO has also produced N99 masks that comprise of five-layers, including two layers of nanomesh. Besides protective masks, the government agency has also developed a full bodysuit for doctors and other medical staff to protect them from being contaminated by COVID-19. The protective suit is washable and has been found suitable after being widely tested by various other agencies.
With India entering a crucial phase in its fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus, the Indian Railways came up with a remarkably ingenious solution to support the country’s public health system. It has decided to convert its coaches into quarantine wards for the treatment of Coronavirus, (also known as COVID-19) patients. Furthermore, the Indian Railways has also offered to prepare 3 lakh patient beds if the need arises in future.
On Friday, the official Twitter handle of the Indian Railways informed that more than 1,00,000 wagons of essential items had been readied in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. The essential supplies included the likes of foodgrains, fruits, vegetables, sugar, salt, dairy products, coal and petroleum products. The feat was achieved within 4 days wherein workers toiled 24 hours round the clock.